Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains largely incurable despite advances that have been made in recent years into increasing the complete response (CR) rates. In elderly patients (over the age of 60), CR rates are lower, 40 to 50%, and long term disease-free and overall survival is less than 10%. The therapeutic options for relapsed/refractory AML are significantly limited. Bortezomib has shown promising activity in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies, including those with leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.